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Delicious and chocolatey Yule Log cake recipe to celebrate the holidays. This classic Christmas dessert is a chocolate sponge cake that you spread with cream and then roll up and decorate like a Yule log. The recipe also features a rich chocolate ganache instead of icing.
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Also known as Bûche De Noël and Swiss rolls, Yule logs are a traditional Christmas cake made to resemble a Yule log. What makes this cake recipe special is that you first make a thin layer of airy sponge, then spread cream filling over it and carefully roll it up. You finish it by decorating the roll to look like a log with chocolate icing and other decorations like marzipan mushrooms, cranberries, and rosemary sprigs. Then, when you cut slices to serve, each slice will have a beautiful spiral of cream filling reminiscent of tree rings. It looks gorgeous in the middle of a holiday table, and each slice is an airy miracle of chocolate and whipped cream.
How to Make a Yule Log Cake
The easy way to make a yule log cake uses a boxed cake mix and supermarket icing. As you can probably guess, they’re not as good as one made from scratch. That’s because the batter of a traditional yule log cake is different from a standard sponge cake and doesn’t require baking powder or baking soda to help the sponge rise. Instead, it’s made by gently folding together homemade meringue and a frothy egg yolk mixture. That simple, frothy batter creates a lighter-than-air sponge that is both delicious and easy to roll up.
The other thing that makes this recipe different is that it uses chocolate ganache for the icing. Standard icing is heavy on sugar, but chocolate ganache is more about deep chocolate flavor. It also hardens into a firm coating that holds a design well and is more like a chocolate truffle shell than frosting. It really is the icing on the cake in this recipe.
Making a yule log cake from scratch requires quite a few steps, so I’d like to take you through the process with photos to help explain. It’s also important to be gentle with the mixing, gentle with the baking, and, most importantly, gentle with the rolling. Once that’s done, it’s a sturdy cake that transports well and will earn you oohs and ahhs of delight. For something different this year, try making this simple Yule log recipe. Who knows? It may become your family’s tradition as well.
More Ideas to Celebrate the Holidays
Before we move on to the recipe, here are some other ideas to help you celebrate and enjoy the holidays. There’s nothing like handmade for a memorable and fun Christmas. Fill it with nature crafts, recipe ideas, outings, and unique ways to mark the season. Tis the season!
- How to Make Homemade Kahlua (easy recipe)
- Creative ways to celebrate the Winter Solstice
- Make this Genius Christmas Table Decoration
- And even more ideas
Traditional Yule Log Cake Recipe
Tanya Anderson
Delicious and chocolatey Yule Log cake recipe to celebrate the holidays. This classic European Christmas dessert is a shallow cake that you spread with cream and then roll up and decorate like a Yule log. The recipe also features a rich chocolate ganache instead of icing
5 from 7 votes
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Prep Time 1 hour hr
Cook Time 10 minutes mins
Cooling time 1 hour hr
Total Time 2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine British, French
Servings 10 people
Calories 214 kcal
Equipment
9X13 Jelly Roll Pan You can use a larger pan, but the sponge will be thinner
Electric mixer or whisk
Sieve for sifting
Ingredients
for the Sponge
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter (to grease the pan)
- ⅓ cup plain flour (60 g)
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (40 g)
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup icing sugar (powdered sugar) (110 g )
for the Filling
- 3 Tbsp icing sugar (powdered sugar) (25 g)
- 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)
- 1 cup double cream (heavy cream) (240 ml / 235 g)
- 1 Tbsp sour cream (or cream cheese / 15 ml / 15 g)
for the Chocolate Ganache
- 1 cup double cream (heavy cream) (240 ml / 235 g)
- 8 oz high-quality dark chocolate (226 g / as chips or bars broken into small pieces)
Instructions
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C or 160°C if you have a convection oven.
Melt the butter and use a brush to coat the pan well, including the corners and sides. Next, line the pan with baking paper and brush the top of the paper with the remaining butter. Ensure that every part of the paper and the inside of the pan is well greased.
Make the cake sponge mixture
Crack the eggs and separate the yolks and whites into different bowls.
Using the sieve, sift the flour, salt, and cocoa powder for the sponge together in a large bowl.
Sift the icing sugar with the sieve into another bowl.
Pour the egg yolks into the electric mixer's bowl. Add the vanilla and ¼ cup of the sugar and mix on medium speed for two to three minutes or until well-mixed and frothy on top. Since there's such a small amount of egg in the bowl, I use the spatula to help direct the egg into the mixer's beaters.
Take the mixer's beaters off and rinse thoroughly. If you have a second bowl that will fit your mixer, get that out now and set the one with the egg yolk mixture aside. If not, pour the egg yolk mixture into another bowl and set aside. Clean and dry the mixer bowl thoroughly.
Add the egg whites to the empty mixer bowl and begin beating at medium-high speed. When they begin forming soft peaks, add the remaining ½ cup of sugar a spoonful at a time. The peaks will look glossier after, and the entire step only takes a few minutes.
With a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg yolk mixture into the egg whites. Folding simply means working from the edges of the bowl and turning the outside ingredients into the center of the bowl. Do not stir, or you'll lose the fluffiness of the mixture.
Next, sprinkle over the sifted cocoa powder and flour and gently fold it in too.
The cake batter will be fluffy yet fully incorporated when it's finished. Don't be tempted to over-mix it since stirring too much can flatten the airiness of the batter.
Bake the Yule Log Cake Sponge
Pour the batter into the pan and smooth with your spatula. If the baking paper sticks out beyond the pan's edges, trim it off now to ensure it doesn't fall back into the sponge while baking.
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cake springs back a little when touched. Using a 9×12" pan will take closer to ten minutes. Larger pans like the 11×16" in the photos needs less time.
As soon as you take the cake sponge out of the oven, gently pull the sponge out of the pan and onto a damp and clean kitchen towel. It should come out fairly easily thanks to the butter used to grease the pan.
Once the cake is on the kitchen towel, sprinkle it with sifted icing sugar.
Lay another piece of baking or parchment paper on top of the cake, then roll it up while it is still warm. Doing this helps mold the sponge into a rolled shape and can reduce the chances of it splitting later on.
Make the Filling
Wait until the cake cools to room temperature before moving on to the next step.
Whip the cream, sour cream, and three tablespoons of sifted icing sugar in the mixer until it forms stiff peaks. Although optional, you could also sift 1-2 teaspoons of cocoa powder into the mix. This will give the filling a light brown color and a hint of chocolate flavor.
Gently unroll the cake and remove the top layer of baking paper. Spread the whipped cream filling evenly over the top of the cake sponge, except for a one-inch strip on one of the shorter ends.
Roll the Yule Log Cake
Roll the cake, beginning from the short end that is covered with cream. Lift up the edge of the sponge and pull it away from the lower layer of baking paper. Roll the sponge onto itself as gently but as tightly as you can. Peel the paper away as you go and use it to help push the sponge as you roll.
If the cake cracks a little as you roll, don't worry. The roll should hold it in place, and the last steps can cover all manner of imperfections.
Roll all the way to the uncreamed side. The result is a rolled-up cake, and most of the hard work is over! If the cream filling was spread a bit thin on the sides, the ends of the cake might look thinner than the middle. This is completely fine but if you are aiming for a more uniform shape, you can trim up to an inch of cake from the ends using a sharp knife. It's a great way to sample the cake before you decorate it too.
When you've finished, lift the cake and place seam side down on a serving platter. Tuck baking paper under the edges of the cake (not too far under, though) in preparation for the next step. You surround the cake with paper to protect the plate from too much chocolate mess.
Make the Chocolate Ganache
Place the cream in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Take it off the heat, add the chocolate and let it sit together for up to five minutes. Stay with it and stir every thirty seconds or so. The result will be a gorgeous and even chocolate mixture.
Once the chocolate ganache is fully mixed, allow it to cool for five to ten minutes before the next step. This allows it to set up a bit so that it isn't too liquidy.
Next, slowly pour the chocolate ganache over the yule log cake to cover it. If the ganache runs down from the cake, the paper will protect the plate from mess and you can use a silicone spatula to pull it back up on the cake.
Wait another ten minutes for the ganache to fully set before gently pulling the paper out from under the edge of the cake. If the paper feels stuck under, you hold a spatula against the cake while you pull, and that helps to keep the ganache in place while you pull the paper out.
To create tree bark texture, use a fork and gently run it along the chocolate ganache. If you wish, lightly sift icing sugar on top for a dusting of snow.
Lastly, decorate the cake with optional decorations and garnishes. Creating a woodland theme is popular, but simple sprigs of rosemary or holly are perfect, too.
Nutrition
Serving: 1sliceCalories: 214kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 4gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 109mgSodium: 75mgFiber: 1gSugar: 14gCalcium: 31mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Chocolate, Christmas
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